South Africa: Spinning their fortunes

South Africa arrived in the subcontinent with the reputation of being the best team never to have won a World Cup.

In year’s gone past, they’ve almost had it all – accurate, quick bowlers, bruising big-hitters and stacks of all-rounders. What they’ve never had is a slew of spinners and they rectified that in this tournament by bringing five tweakers to the event, three of them frontline bowlers.

Collectively, their worth was six wickets for 74 runs in the first warm-up against Zimbabwe and even though the quality of the opposition doesn’t merit excessive celebration, the impact they will have in this tournament was clear.

The inclusion of so many spinners has meant that South Africa have an inexperienced side, with eleven players never having played a World Cup before. They’re fresh from one-day series wins against India and Pakistan, the former in come-from-behind fashion after being 2-1 down and the second a victory under trying circumstances after Pakistan levelled the five-match series two-all.

It’s those phantoms that have given South Africa another reputation, that of being world’s worst handlers of pressure. Their ‘chokers’ tag has been attached to them since 1999 and stayed because all of their World Cup exits have resulted from bucking under pressure.

In 2003, there was the ignominy of not being able to read the Duckworth-Lewis table and in 2007 there were two big losses to Australia which sent them home. They’ve also failed in three World Twenty20s and a Champions Trophy, losing matches at crucial times and some have suggested that the only way they will lift ICC silverware is if there are no knock-out matches.

The team has resolutely refused to accept that there is a problem. Therein may lie the problem itself. They are doing the right thing by the PR books, presenting a united front, saying that are preparing as well as they can, their mindset has changed and they are embracing a new challenge with new eyes. Proving that will only be possible in five weeks, when the group stage has been completed and crunch time is upon them. It’s expected that they will make it out of their group comfortably but for that they’ll have to overcome two of their nemesis.

The West Indies have made a habit of beating South Africans in the opening match of a major tournament (2003 World Cup and 2007 World T20). India in Nagpur is the most attractive  match of the group stage but the other major challenge will come in March when they travel to Bangladesh. The hosts beat them in 2007 and have a tenacious fighting spirit that will test every team in the group.

Staying focused during the month of group matches should be South Africa’s first target. They can then think about altering their reputation with success in the knockouts.

The writer is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2011.